9 Ways To Eat Radishes
by ZenGoalie
Summary: Mary Margaret convinces Emma that she needs to eat healthier and guilts her into joining a community farm share. Emma hates vegetables, but there may be a handsome farm volunteer that can change her mind on the culinary benefits of fresh food.


Emma squinted down the road, searching for the turn off that Mary Margaret had described. The gravel road came into view just across from the white farm house. At least her directions were accurate.

"What the hell!" She slammed on the brakes as a chicken ran in front of her car as she turned into the entrance on her right. Ahead she could see greenhouses lined up along a large tilled field. Other cars were parked along the grass so she pulled in next to them.

Emma grumbled under her breath, cursing Mary Margaret for convincing her to join this farm share. She'd promised to try and eat healthier. The idea of freshly grown vegetables from a farm had sounded good at the time. But the fact that she had to drive out over a field to the little shed to pick up her share each week was a nuisance. This seemed like something she'd grow to regret as the summer continued.

As she got out of her Beetle, a scruffy looking dog trotted up to her and sniffed her boots. She leaned down and rubbed his head while she reached back into the car to grab a bag. She could see the other people poking through the garden and chatting with each other. The last thing Emma needed was to rub elbows with some veggie loving hippies. She groaned inwardly and headed towards the small building that appeared to house the bins of already harvested vegetables.

Posted outside of the shed was a chalkboard describing what and how many of each type of vegetable was available for the week. Rainbow chard, kale, bok choy, and leeks seemed to be on the menu.

As she read over the board, a dark haired man made his way over holding a clip board. The dog loped over and sat dutifully next to him, tongue lolling out happily. The man reached down and ruffled the dog's ears before turning his attention to Emma.

"Afternoon lass, your name?" He held his pencil over a list of what she assumed were the people who'd bought into this years share. She glanced up into the bluest pair of eyes and caught her breath before stuttering out an answer.

"Swan, Emma Swan." He traced down the list finding her name and making a checkmark on the paper.

"I see you're signed up for the half share portion. You can have your pick of six items."

Emma made her way into the shed. Shelves along two of the walls held baskets with green leafy vegetables. She rolled her eyes and tried to find any sort of thing that looked like she might actually eat it. It was proving to be rather difficult when she couldn't even figure out what half of these plants were. She must have muttered a curse loud enough to draw the attention of the man outside. He darkened the doorway and asked her in an amused lilt, "First time joining a CSA?"

"Yeah, one of my friends convinced me to do this." She gestured at the bins. "I don't even know what any of these things are."

He tried to suppress a smile and proceeded to point and identify each of the strange greens that baffled her. Thankfully one of the choices was spinach. At least she knew what that was and how to cook it. She grabbed a bunch and nestled it down into her bag. Radishes was another thing he pointed out that she recognized. She grabbed a bunch of those and added it to her spinach. She wasn't sure she'd eat them, but at least they weren't green like everything else.

She picked four other different leafy green things and shoved those in to her bag as well. The man had gone out to greet another customer and she slipped by, hurrying to get this torture over with. It was embarrassing to be so clueless about food. Emma wanted to get home and let Mary Margaret know just how much she was going to owe her for conning her into this in the first place.

* * *

"Mary Margaret there was a freaking caterpillar in my chard!" Emma ranted.

She was elbow deep in her sink trying to rinse the mud and dirt out of the leaves of whatever kind of kale or chard or spinach this was. The last salad she'd tried to make was rather gritty and there was no way she was going to ingest more soil. She shut the water off and dried her hands on a towel.

"Why am I doing this again?" She glared over her shoulder at her friend.

"Emma, it'll be much healthier for you to eat fresh food rather than frozen lasagna or take out." Mary Margaret held her mug of tea and calmly explained the virtues again.

Emma snorted and made her way over to the couch. She glanced at the cookbook Mary Margaret had brought over. She doubted there'd be anything in there that would be remotely appetizing.

"At least the farm guy's kind of hot." Emma grudgingly admitted.

"Ooh, which one was volunteering when you picked up? Was it the cute blonde?" Mary Margaret leaned forward excitedly.

"No, dark hair, blue eyes, kind of scruffy." Emma flipped open the cookbook and turned the pages in feigned interest. She really wasn't much for cooking, and she wondered how she was going to manage to eat as much food as she was due to get each week.

"The blonde one is there in the morning when I pick up. He's always offering ideas on how to prepare stuff. You should ask whomever's volunteering for tips on how to cook what's available for the week."

Emma slammed the cookbook shut wandered back to the kitchen to attempt preparing an edible lunch she could bring to work. Radishes didn't seem very appetizing at the moment. Her shoulders slumped. It was going to be a long week.

* * *

Friday rolled around quicker than Emma expected. Seemed like her fridge was still overflowing with leafy greens. She'd had to dump half a bunch of kale this morning, and now she was on her way to pick up _more_ veggies. She was shocked that Mary Margaret hadn't convinced her to start composting with all the leftovers.

She made the turn, eyes peeled for stray poultry running across the road. She bounced over the grass and pulled up beside the rickety looking shed. It was a hot day and the heat seemed to make the farm smells even more intense. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the strong odor of manure and hay.

A gaggle of older women were gathered around the folding table set up in front. The dark haired volunteer was seated behind it, chatting up the ladies. He handed them each a sheet of paper before raising his eyes to take in the new arrival. As Emma got out of her VW, the scruffy dog came trotting up to greet her like he had last week. When she approached the table, the volunteer already had his clipboard out and finger scrolling down the list.

"Swan, right?" he cheerfully asked.

"Yeah," she paused, hoping he'd introduce himself. He didn't disappoint, sticking out his hand and giving her a warm smile.

"Killian Jones," he reached down to scratch the fur behind the ears of the farm dog, "and this is Biscuit."

She reached down to stroke the soft brown fur on the dog's head and he immediately flopped onto the ground, rolled onto his back to expose his tummy for a belly rub. Emma couldn't help but smile and give a good rub before standing up to check the board. Another list of items that she wasn't quite sure what to do with.

Killian slid one of the sheets towards her. "Here's a list of recipe ideas for some of what's available."

"Honestly? I have a hard enough time figuring out what half of those things are." She waved helplessly at the chalkboard.

He got up and swung his arm towards the little farm building. "Well I would be remiss if I didn't assist you in becoming familiar with the produce."

Emma couldn't suppress the smile from her face as she passed him and stepped up into the open door. She also couldn't help but notice how his black t-shirt stretched snugly across his chest and biceps. Emma was a shrewd judge of human character. Within minutes of first meeting someone, she was able to size them up with sharp accuracy. It was one of the personality traits that made her such a good bail bondswoman. Killian Jones exuded a friendly confidence that piqued her interest.

He followed her in and proceeded to explain what each of the vegetables were. At least this week she recognized a few of them.

She filled her bag with more leafy greens. Hopefully she'd manage to find some way to prepare them besides just salads.

"Thanks for the help, Killian." She picked up the list of recipes and tucked it in with her produce.

"I hope you find the recipes helpful." He smiled bashfully and gave her a quick wave goodbye.

Emma nodded and trekked back to her car, still convinced that Mary Margaret owed her for forcing all this healthy food on her. At least Killian was easy on the eyes.

* * *

The week passed uneventfully. She wasn't sure, but the idea to clobber bail jumpers with bok choy had crossed her mind once or twice. It was the only way she'd get rid of all the leftovers.

She made the familiar turn into the farm and smiled when she saw Biscuit running out to greet her.

She approached the chalkboard, dreading another week of unidentifiable food. Killian smiled and marked her name off the list.

"Swan, hope you had a productive week."

She sighed at the listing. Mary Margaret always seemed to have some special knack for preparing the odd choices, but more often than not, Emma ended up tossing the majority of her pickings out. She furrowed her brow and wondered to herself, _What the heck was a scape?_

He arched an eyebrow at the blank look on her face.

"You look a bit puzzled love."

"Yeah, well I have so much left from last weeks share. I really am not sure what I'll do with even more."

"It takes some adjustment, but you'll soon get the hang of cooking with fresh ingredients." he reassured her.

"You say that as if I know how to cook with these wacky vegetables."

She made her way into the shed to search out something that may not be green and leafy. He followed closely on her heels. She happily found a few tomatoes and added them to her bag. He once again described what the other vegetables were and added a few ways he liked to prepare them.

"One of the bonuses this week is that the flower garden has some plants blooming. You're more than welcome to go ahead and explore." He held out an extra pair of shears and turned to show her the way. Emma wasn't one to be easily charmed, but Killian gave off a sense of being genuine. She couldn't help but trail along after him down the path towards the other field.

He bent and snipped a pink blooming flower. Emma ranged to her right among the row of plants, and harvested a yellow blossom. It reminded her of her tattoo, and she smiled and clipped a few more. When she ventured back to the path, Killian was waiting for her with a loose bunch of wildflowers that he'd gathered. He held them out to her.

"What's this for?" she asked. He grinned and gave a bow.

"Just being a gentleman."

Emma rolled her eyes and countered, "I bet you do this for all the ladies."

He gazed into her eyes, a serious cast to his stare, "Actually, no."

He turned back towards the shed, back to where customers waited to be checked in. Emma's eyes followed him, and she glanced down at her freshly cut bouquet. She smiled and tucked them in amongst her vegetables.

* * *

Mary Margaret stood next to Emma rinsing lettuce and cleaning up their produce. Her eyes slid knowingly to the vase filled with wildflowers.

"So, who gave you those?" she elbowed her friend and nodded at the bouquet.

"Killian showed me the flower garden and helped me gather them." Emma blushed lightly. "So _technically_ no one gave them to me, I picked them for myself."

"Mmhmm." Mary Margaret stared at her. The apparent look of doubt on her face.

"What?" Emma dried her hands off and turned toward her friend.

"Well, we're into what?" Mary Margaret paused, "week three or four and you're not complaining so much about the food. Either you're learning, or you like the guy that's there when you pick up your share."

Emma rolled her eyes and looked at her friend. "You do realize I end up throwing half this stuff out by the end of the week. It wilts damnit!"

"David's been giving me some really good recipes. Don't be so prickly and just ask for some ideas!" Mary Margaret rinsed another radish and placed it on the cutting board to slice into thin chips.

"David huh? Is that the cute blonde?" Emma smirked at her. She reached out to grab one of the radish slices and popped it in her mouth. She shuddered and made a face. "Yuck, how can you eat these things?"

Mary Margaret just rolled her eyes and continued to prepare her healthy snack.

* * *

Friday rolled around before she knew it, and once again Emma was left dumping out her failed attempt at rainbow chard smoothies.

She pulled up to the farm and couldn't help but notice the glow of happiness that shot through her when she saw Killian manning the clipboard. He was charming an older lady who was just turning to leave, her canvas bag overflowing with produce.

As she approached the check-in table she noticed how Killian's face lit up in a bright smile at the sight of her.

"Swan! I hope you had some success with some of the recipes on our handout?"

She couldn't suppress the grin that spread across her face from his jovial greeting.

"Yeah, about that. I swear if I have to eat one more leafy green salad or steamed swiss chard, my head's going to explode." _Or my colon_ , she thought to herself.

"Well let me regale you with all the fine choices we have this week." He bowed with a flourish and followed her in to explain the variety of selections available.

"Rainbow chard again?" Emma complained.

"A little garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, sauteed in some chicken stock, and you have a delightful side dish."

"Seriously?" she had to admit to being caught off guard with the way he'd reeled off how to cook the infernal chard so easily.

"Oh lass, you have no idea the depths of my talent." He smirked and proceeded to guide her through the week's selections. She found it difficult to pay attention when her mind wandered to what other talents he possessed.

Her spirits jumped when she saw the little crates of cherry tomatoes. Finally a vegetable that she liked and would actually eat.

"Ah, Swan, added bonus this week is if you'd like to skip the chard, you can visit the herb garden." He pointed out past the flower garden where a small section was set aside. A few people were wandering amongst the plants.

"There's some fresh basil that would be the perfect complement to those tomatoes you just grabbed."

Emma thought it was a great idea, if only she knew what basil looked like. Her face must have betrayed what she was thinking, because Killian steered her in the direction of the herbs.

"Don't worry lass, I'll show you the best plants to harvest."

"Do I really look that clueless?" she questioned.

"Your face seems to be an open book." He grinned and escorted her to one of the basil plants. He picked a leaf and held it towards her nose. The sharp tang of the basil made her think that if it tasted as good as it smelled, this was going to be her most successful week at the farm. He drew his hand back and popped the leaf into his mouth. Emma gave herself a mental shake trying not to imagine the sinful things he could do with that mouth. If she was an open book, then Killian would have no doubt to what she was imagining. He smiled and left her to gather on her own.

* * *

Emma was rather pleased with her caprese salad made from her fresh basil and tomato from the farm. At least she wouldn't be dumping a bin full of greens out with the trash at the end of this week.

Surprisingly, she was looking forward to her trip to pick up her share at the end of the week. Biscuit ran out to greet her and she ruffled his ears. Killian was bent over a notebook, dark hair falling over his forehead. His sleeves were rolled up and she couldn't help but admire his strong looking forearms.

"Swan!" He looked up and smiled. Emma returned his grin and squinted at the chalkboard with the week's list of choices. "Tough week this week. Deer got into the lettuce. Pretty limited selections I'm afraid."

"Ugh, radishes again?" she complained.

"I can list off at least nine ways to eat radishes," Killian boasted.

"Well I bet there's not one way that would make them taste good." Emma shot back.

"Well love, that's because you haven't had me prepare them." He leaned in, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Is that a challenge?" Emma asked.

"You know Emma, I'd be honored to have the opportunity to prepare a meal for you." Suddenly his confident swagger evaporated into a bashful admission. He scratched nervously at the back of his a neck.

Emma was a bit thrown, but recovered enough to respond, "Well, if you can make this week's choices into something I'll eat, then you are on."

"I like a challenge." He leaned in towards her, regaining his cockiness. He guided her amongst the baskets of vegetables, poking around the greens, selecting what he deemed the best and slipped them into her canvas bag. Once he was satisfied, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Now Swan, if you're going to allow me to impress you with my culinary skills, you'll have to let me know what is a convenient night to arrange a dinner." He cocked his head to the side, fingers hovering over the screen on his phone.

"Wednesday I'm free." She smiled shyly and pulled out her own phone to exchange numbers.

"Well you bring these ingredients," he patted her bag, "and I'll do the rest."

* * *

Emma stood outside the apartment door. She'd brought her fresh vegetables and grabbed a bottle of red wine as well. Over the few days since she'd agreed to the date, they'd texted back and forth. He'd sent his address to her since " _I don't actually live on the farm, I just volunteer there_."

Emma shifted nervously from one foot to the other and then raised her hand to knock on the door. Mary Margaret had been nagging her to get back into the dating game, and this was the first guy that she had a good feeling about. This was more than some casual bar hookup. Seeing him week after week, she felt that she could consider him a friend. She wasn't going to turn tail and run on this one. She was going to see what might actually be there.

From inside she could hear Biscuit bark and the scrabbling of claws on the floor as he no doubt was ready to greet a new visitor. After a moment the door opened and Killian beamed at her as he attempted to shove the eager dog behind him.

"Swan! Welcome to my humble abode." He opened the door wide and reached to grab her grocery bag on her way past him. She glanced down and snorted at the "Wipe your paws" welcome mat and he shrugged. She made her way down the entry hall, decorated with a coat rack and small table, where she noticed he kept his car keys and mail piled neatly. Killian squeezed past her as she bent to scratch Biscuit's floppy ears. She had to admit that he smelled just as good as whatever he was cooking.

"This way," he led her into a modern looking kitchen with an island in the middle. He set her bag on it and pulled out a stool for her. She took the proffered seat and let her eyes roam around the rest of the kitchen. There was a large cutting board across from her, with a rather artful display of sliced radishes. Emma couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the thought of the evil root.

"Don't worry Swan, they're for decoration, I won't force you to eat them if you're not inclined."

"Good, because you'll never convince me they're actually edible."

He smirked at her and reached into her bag to pull out the variety of veggies. He placed the greenery in his sink and started filling it with cold water. "Gotta let them soak for awhile to loosen up the grit."

He turned back toward her, wiping his hands dry on a simple black apron tied around his waist. Emma raised an eyebrow and smirked at him.

"Aren't you the picture of domesticity?" She pushed the bottle of wine towards him.

"If you're doing it right, and with enthusiasm, things can get a little messy in the kitchen."

"At least it doesn't have ruffles," she snickered at him. "Care to crack that bottle open, garçon?"

He slipped a couple of wine glasses down from a hanging rack, and reached to uncork the bottle. After pouring a generous amount into each glass, he passed it across to her.

She swirled the red wine around, inhaled the tart scent. She couldn't help but take in the tempting scene of Killian, sleeves rolled up, striding around his kitchen with such ease. As he pulled the steaks out of the refrigerator, he turned and caught her staring at him. He grinned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I hope you brought an appetite." He winked at her, garnering an eyeroll from Emma.

She took a large drink of her wine, hoping to gather some liquid courage to actually open up and take a chance on this man. He seemed too good to be true, but after the string of bad dating luck Emma had suffered through, maybe it was time for her to actually strike gold on a guy.

"Well, if you can make kale appetizing, I'm willing to give it a try."

"You'd be amazed at my talents, love." He smirked and turned back to the sink to finish rinsing the greens. Emma could feel the blush rise to the tips of her ears; she couldn't blame it all on the wine.

Emma watched as he moved expertly around his little kitchen. She found it hard not to notice the way his forearms flexed while he sliced fresh garlic scapes and tossed them in a pan to sautée. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he chopped kale, and Emma couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked as he worked. He glanced over his shoulder at her and she hid her grin behind her wine glass. She couldn't remember the last time a man had cooked for her and she had to admit to herself it was something she could get used to.

His hair flopped messily onto his forehead giving the appearance of a mad scientist at work. He artfully managed to continue stirring and chopping as he tossed ingredients in the pan. The smell was wondrous. Emma's stomach growled and she blushed when Killian caught her eye and chuckled at her. He turned the heat off and covered the pan to keep it warm.

"I guess you are hungry." He grabbed the steaks and gestured with his wine glass for her to follow him.

He led her out of the kitchen and through a small tidy living room. A sliding glass door opened onto a patio and backyard. Emma reached to open it since his hands were full. Biscuit trailed along behind them, and bounded out to grab a dog toy that lay on the edge of the patio.

Killian dropped the steaks on the grill where they sizzled immediately. Killian closed the grill and checked his watch.

"Make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the lounge chairs that were facing out into the backyard. The moment Emma sat down Biscuit reappeared and dropped a ball into her lap. Emma laughed and threw the ball off into the yard sending the dog running to retrieve it. It was rare that she felt this relaxed or at home with anyone but Mary Margaret. Sitting on Killian's patio while he cooked for her, playing with the dog, should terrify her. She didn't want to get her hopes up with the risk that it could all go bad. But she had to admit to herself that this made her happy.

"I'm sorry lass, he's not used to company." Killian intercepted the dog before he could drop the slobber covered ball into Emma's lap. He hurled it even farther to keep him occupied.

"It's ok," Emma assured him. "I like dogs, I've always wanted to get one." When Biscuit returned, she ruffled the fur on his head and pried the ball from his mouth to toss it out in the yard again. "So what made you want to volunteer at the farm?"

"Well, I like to cook, and Dave convinced me that there were perks of getting fresh produce if I put in some work each week." He peeked under the grill, poking the steak with a fork. He turned back to Emma. "What made you join up to get saddled with all these vegetables that you clearly are unfamiliar with?"

"Blame my friend Mary Margaret. She's convinced I can't live on takeout food alone." Emma toyed with her wine glass and leaned back to watch Killian flip the steaks.

"Takeout?" She could see the look of horror pass across his face. "Well obviously your friend is a very wise person." Killian tossed the dog toy far out into the yard again. Emma wondered if his friend was the same one Mary Margaret had been crushing on.

"Your friend Dave, he wouldn't happen to the blonde that volunteers Friday mornings is he?"

"Aye, he's got the mornings and I've got the afternoons." He looked at her questioningly. Emma snickered to herself.

"I suspect that my wise friend has a crush on him."

"Well, here's to volunteering and vegetables bringing people together." He raised his wine glass towards her and clinked glasses with her. Emma smiled back at him and tried, unsuccessfully, not to drown in the depths of his blue eyes.

There was nothing more attractive than seeing a man in his element. He turned back to the grill, flipping the tongs expertly. Emma wished that she was as confident in her cooking ability. Killian prodded the steaks and satisfied they were done, lifted them off the grill.

They made their way back to the kitchen. Killian slid the platter of steak onto the counter and opened the oven to remove something that smelled sinfully delicious. Emma approached and leaned in next to him, trying to catch a glimpse of what he'd created.

"Patience Swan, all in good time." He nudged her back to shield her from what he slid onto the platter.

"But it smells so good. What is it?" She made another attempt to lean in and see if she could peek at what was wrapped in the foil packet nestled next to the steak. Killian turned and raised his fork threateningly.

"No sampling until it's ready!" His eyes flashed mischieviously and he grasped her arm and steered her towards the center island. "How about you set out the plates while I put the finishing touches on this?"

"Ok, ok, as long as you don't add radishes to it." She grabbed the plates stacked in front of her and set their places next to one another.

Finally he presented the platter of steak, garnished with the infernal radishes. He'd sliced them to appear like rose blossoms, and Emma had to hand it to him, they did look good. He tore open the foil package next to the steak,releasing a heavenly aroma.

"You'll notice I've layered the farm scallions at the bottom while roasting the potatoes."

He scooted in closer and scooped some of the kale he'd sauteed onto her plate. Emma promised herself to keep an open mind, but it was going to take some convincing on Killian's part to get her to admit to liking kale. He twirled a small bite onto his fork and held it out to her.

"Come on Swan, you might like it."

She rolled her eyes but took a tentative bite. She swore she'd have to choke it down, but the garlic and hint of lemon actually helped the flavor.

"I'll admit, it's not onion rings, but it's not half bad. You at least cook it much better than me." He grinned and passed her the serving dish.

The steaks were cooked to perfection. Killian had mushrooms, peppers and onions all available to compliment the meat. Emma dug in enthusiastically. Occasionally Killian would offer a tidbit for her to try, testing what she liked and disliked. Emma had to admit, she could get used to eating like this every night if she had someone as skilled as Killian cooking for her.

"Well love, what's the verdict?" He eyed her empty plate knowingly.

"I may need more convincing?" Emma shyly glanced at him. "I am truly a disaster in the kitchen."

"Are you asking me to cook for you again?" He smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you offering?" Emma figured why not be bold? She'd enjoyed this evening and wanted to do it again.

"I'd be honored if you'd allow me to prepare a meal for you again, Emma."

She got a warm fuzzy feeling when she heard him use her first name. Granted the wine helped with that too, but the way it sounded with that adorable lilt caused her to blush..

"I had a really good time tonight." Emma's stomach flip flopped nervously. "I'd love to do this again."

He leaned in, and Emma's heart hammered in her ears. _Is he going to kiss me?_ He brushed his nose against hers and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Good." He pulled back and brushed his lips across the tops of her knuckles. Emma felt both relief and disappointment. She was glad he was being a gentleman, but his mouth felt so warm and inviting on her hand, she couldn't help but imagine more. "Then it's a date."

Killian offered Emma some coffee and cannoli to wrap up their evening. They sat on his couch sharing work stories. He was impressed with her tales of running down bail jumpers. She was intrigued to learn he worked with his older brother at their pub. Liam was a natural at creating drinks, while Killian worked his magic in the kitchen. The hours allowed him the flexibility to volunteer at the farm on Friday afternoons. When Biscuit woofed at the slider to go out, Emma realized it was getting late.

"I didn't realize what time it was. I do have to work in the morning." She unfolded herself from the couch. "I find myself looking forward to Friday." Emma said as she packed up some of the extra food Killian had set aside for her.

"You know Swan, next time you should come a bit earlier and I could show you how to prepare you own dish." He handed her the bag of leftovers, fingers brushed against hers. "You could be more hands on in the kitchen."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled and happily agreed.

* * *

They found themselves arranging a standing dinner date each week. Under Killian's patient tutelage, Emma found that she enjoyed finding new ways to prepare the once dreaded vegetables. It didn't hurt that it afforded her more quality time with Killian Jones either. And if Emma found herself volunteering alongside Killian in the spring, well that was just because he'd managed to educate her on the benefits of eating fresh vegetables. But she still hated radishes.


End file.
